Their Unyielding Bond
by PinkFireandGoldenStars
Summary: "I...I can't hurt you Lucy." What happens when the guild finds out about Natsu's darker side? Will Lucy stay with him like he needs or leave like he expects? WARNING! SPOILERS! END! Two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! Sorry about not updating for a while, I've been dealing with some things. And this is something that I've stored for a while and I thought, why not? I haven't posted an angst in a while. And there'll be more to come! ;) This is based off what I thought would happen if Natsu and the guild were told he was END, not using what actually happened in the manga.**

 **Disclaimer: All characters used in this belong to Hiro Mashima, as always.**

 **Enjoy!**

If someone were to walk past Fairy Tail today, they would have to do a double take and perhaps look inside because it was an unusual day to say the least. They wouldn't hear the loud crashing and deafening yells of a brawl or the laughter that accompanied it. It would be silent from the outside but if they were to look in the doors they would hear a faint sobbing.

Lucy and Happy sat in a corner of the hall, far from everyone else as they awaited the news they dreaded to hear. The sobbing came from Happy as he could only voice his confusion and concern. Lucy held him close to her chest, offering what little comfort she could. While Happy had no problem crying aloud, Lucy held her despair in, preferring to cry in private. Instead of voicing her own sadness, she attempted to sooth Happy by murmuring reassurances and joyful memories.

Soon the melancholy pair were joined by more of their friends. They had grown weary of sitting and waiting and watching the pair look so down. Granted no one was in high spirits at the moment but a few took it harder than all the rest, those two especially. These few were now all sitting together, hoping to offer comfort by closeness. Where Lucy and Happy had sat alone, Gray, Erza, Lisanna, Mira and Wendy (with Carla of course) now gathered around them. All held sombre expressions and Lisanna and Wendy had red eyes from crying. No one offered any kind of verbal consolation opting for physical comfort instead. Everyone had some form of contact with someone else. Lucy still held Happy to her chest while Lisanna had an arm around Lucy's shoulders. Mira was stroking Lisanna's hair while she was resting her head on Erza's shoulder. Erza had her head upon Mira's while Gray had a comforting hand on Erza's other shoulder. Wendy was hugging Gray's waist while he had a protective arm around her, something Juvia didn't mind so much as she watched from a close distance. Carla was hovering next to Wendy, her face concerned but not as shattered as her companions'. All this formed a sort of semi-circle that everyone else in the guild sent pitiful glances towards.

What felt like hours later but was in actuality only ten minutes, the master's office door creaked open and a weary looking Makarov stepped out. Scanning the dejected faces of his 'children' he let out a deep sigh.

"Lucy, Happy. Please come here." He called.

The aforementioned wizards broke away from their friends. They all made a move to follow but were stopped by Makarov. Hesitantly they all returned to their positions reforming the semi-circle.

Lucy and Happy quickly made their way to Makarov who, while burdened with grief, managed a small smile which Lucy returned, though not without struggle. Makarov lead the pair into his office and shut the door. At the first sight of pink Lucy stifled a sob and had to hold Happy back from flying towards it. There sat in front of them, his back facing them, was their partner and best friend. Makarov walked slowly towards him and laid a hand on his shoulder. The master muttered something to him to which Natsu nodded. Makarov walked back over to Lucy and they watched as Natsu slowly pushed himself out of the chair, his arms portraying the effort as his muscles bulged and stretched. As he walked towards them he was the very image of despair. His shoulders were hunched, his steps slow, his head hanging down, refusing to meet their eyes. Makarov cleared his throat, turning to Lucy and said,

"Would you look after him tonight? I think he needs to be with you two. And don't worry, he's not any danger… yet."

A small growl slipped past Natsu at that, followed by a whimper and then he folded in on himself even more. Lucy flinched at his reaction, tears swimming in her eyes, while Makarov merely sighed. Blinking away the tears and trying to adopt a cheery tone Lucy replied, never taking her eyes off of Natsu.

"Of course! Come on Natsu, I'll make us some dinner, your choice."

Natsu nodded and followed her out, not making a sound and not meeting her eyes. Makarov watched wearily as the generally cheerful trio walked silently away. This new information was a heavy burden to Natsu and the guild but he knew if anyone could lighten it, it was those two.

Throughout the walk home Lucy tried to keep conversation light to lift everyone's spirits. When they had walked through the guild hall before, Natsu had grown tense as the air was thick with pity, concern and what felt like mild fear from their guild mates. As soon as they had exited the building Happy had flown to Natsu's arms, whimpering and cuddling into him. Natsu's immediate reaction was one of shock before a small smile graced his tired features and he reached a hand up to stroke Happy's fur. Lucy watched this exchange with her own sad smile. As she began balancing on the edge of the canal, Lucy began to talk.

"So for dinner I was thinking I could make spaghetti? And Mira taught me how to make fire chicken the other day so I could make you some of that Natsu. Sound good?"

A small nod is all she received.

"Okay fire chicken it is! Oh and I have a salmon for you Happy. So that should be enough I think. Do we want dessert? Natsu?"

She turned to see an almost indiscernible shake of his head. Lucy sighed softly as her apartment came into view. Natsu's silence was unnerving and if he was going to be like this then it would be a long night. When they reached her apartment she was again confused by Natsu as he followed her through the door rather than jumping to the window.

Once inside, Lucy set about making dinner, humming to herself as she cooked. While she was in the kitchen Natsu sat at the table, stroking Happy's fur as he ate his fish and watching Lucy's every move. Soon enough dinner was ready and as they ate Lucy once again found herself talking to no one. Not even Happy could respond as he had fallen asleep.

"So I was thinking tomorrow, why don't we go fishing? Happy was so upset today I think it would be nice to do something for him, yeah? Then maybe we could take a mission, just a short one, my rent's due in a few days and I haven't paid it yet. And I thought..."

"Why aren't you scared of me?"

Caught off guard by the quiet interruption Lucy looked up from her plate in shock.

"W-what?"

"I said, why aren't you scared of me?"

His voice was rough from being silent so long but as he continued to speak, his voice cleared and grew louder.

"Natsu…" she began but he interrupted her again.

"No Lucy. Everyone is scared of me now. Surely you could tell. I don't blame them, heck, I'm scared of myself! So why aren't you? I get Happy but why you? I'm a monster Luce, a demon. Why aren't you scared?! WHY DON'T YOU HATE ME?!"

In his frustration Natsu had stood up from the table. In response to his rant, Lucy stood as well and walked towards him. In that moment Lucy saw how vulnerable and scared he truly was. His eyes were wide and glistening from unshed tears, his face pale, his breath short and erratic and his whole form was trembling. Lucy smiled gently as she moved right in front of him. Still smiling, she reached a tender hand up to his face and placed it on his cheek. Immediately he closed his eyes and leaned into the gentle touch.

"There's nothing to be scared of." She whispered.

With that she left to go clean the dishes and get ready for the night. When she had finished and was about to get into bed, she saw Natsu standing where she left him, eyes wide open now and mumbling incoherently. Lucy sighed.

"Natsu, come here."

Snapping his blank stare to Lucy, he stalked towards her, stopping in front of her, still standing while she sat on the edge of her bed. Reaching for his wrist, Lucy tugged him onto the bed next to her. Natsu slumped, as if he had been held up by a string and someone had just cut it, and failed to meet Lucy's eyes again. Moving to hold his hands, Lucy urged him to talk.

"Natsu. What's wrong?"

Natsu's voice was soft yet firm as he answered her, his voice increasing in volume and urgency as he continued.

"What's wrong? What's _wrong_?! Lucy, you know what's wrong! I-I'm a, a, a demon Luce! I'm Zeref's brother! I'm 400 and something years old! It's because of me that your mum died! I'M A DEMON! A MONSTER! Gray's job, given to him by his dad, is to destroy _me_! _I_ could destroy the guild, I could kill everyone! I could kill you!"

His eyes widened in shock at the realisation, his stomach churning as though he was on a train in his fear.

"I, I could kill you! No…NO! I don't want to! I _can't_!"

Natsu was close to hysterical now, standing up and backing away from her, one hand over his mouth to try and keep himself from revisiting his dinner, before tripping over his feet and landing on the floor. Once on the floor, he curled into a ball and began rocking back and forth, whispering 'no' over and over, eyes open yet unseeing. Lucy stood slowly and made her way over to him. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and knelt in front of him

"Natsu?"

No response.

"Natsu, look at me."

He slowly met her gaze and Lucy smiled, laying her other hand on his cheek again.

"Luce I, I can't hurt you. I'm supposed to protect you. That's why I left. So I could get stronger, that way I'd never lose anyone again. I would never lose _you_. But now…I have to leave Luce. I don't – I _won't_ hurt you. Please Luce, I'm too dangerous, I…"

"Stop right there. You listen to me Natsu. You may be E.N.D but you are still Natsu. You're still my best friend and no matter what you say, I won't let you leave again. That will hurt me more than anything."

Seeing only genuine feelings and absolute honesty on her face, Natsu grew more confused than ever.

"Why? Why are you still not scared? I could kill you Lucy! I…I…"

Lucy held onto both his shoulders and then pulled him into a hug, threading her fingers through his hair. In her comforting embrace Natsu finally let his tears fall.

"Do you want me to be scared of you?"

"No, but…"

"Then I won't be. I don't care about all that Natsu. Like I said, you're still Natsu and you're still my best friend. If and when the book is opened or destroyed, we'll work it out. But for now all we can do is hope for the best and stick together. We'll just carry on like we always do."

"Lucy…"

"Mmm?"

"I'm scared." He whimpered.

Lucy smiled and pulled him closer, letting her own tears slide down her cheeks. Her restraint had finally snapped after holding back all her worries for the whole day. When Natsu had finally admitted his worries she allowed herself to let go. Natsu, feeling her tears drip onto his neck, drew his arms around her and squeezed tight. In that moment he couldn't be more grateful for the woman he held in his arms and how much she did for him. The thought made him smile gently and he slid his fingers through her golden locks.

As they both held each other, an unspoken promise was made. They would always protect each other and not anyone, nor anything could break their bond. A bond made of cherished friendship and a deep, unyielding love that had not yet seen the light of day, biding its time in the depths of their hearts. Right then they knew that, somehow, they would make it through whatever life threw at them, all its troubles and strife, all its joy and good times, they would see it all. All they needed, and would ever need, is each other.

 **So, what did you think? Please let me know in your reviews! They seriously give me motivation. There will be a second part to this so...I'll try and get that up ASAP but you know me, it could take a while. I will try though! See you later! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! I did it! I finally finished it! This was really hard to write by the way so please don't kill me if it fells a little rushed because I had to get through it. Anyway, here's the next and last chapter, whoop!**

 **Disclaimer: As always everything belongs to Hiro Mashima (that little troll) except the plot line.**

 **Enjoy!**

It was late at night and the only sound was that of the quiet breeze whistling through the trees. The night was cool but two mages were perfectly content and warm. Natsu and Lucy were on a mission and they had been forced to camp out as Natsu had persuaded Lucy to walk back to Magnolia. They had ended up in the east forest and were camped next to a glittering lake in a small clearing.

Unfortunately both Lucy and Natsu had neglected to bring a tent with them as they were planning on it being a day job, also why they had left Happy at home to fawn over Carla. It was quite nice for the little exceed as he had not left Natsu's side since the night of his breakdown. Both Natsu and Lucy had insisted that he stay and hang out with Carla. It wasn't as difficult as they thought because Carla was quite eager to spend time with him.

This left the two mages lying under the stars, side by side in the cool spring air. They had started out in their separate sleeping bags but after Natsu had noticed Lucy shivering in the cold he had pulled her close to him, wrapping her up in his sleeping bag and arms. This led to their current position, lying on their backs, Lucy tucked into Natsu's side.

Natsu turned his head slightly to look at his blonde partner. She was gazing up at the stars, eyes moving quickly as she muttered things under her breath. Her eyes were bright in the starlight and her lips were quirked up in a slight smile as she looked. Natsu smiled softly and let out a content sigh, leaning his head more into hers.

"Whatcha doin' Luce?" He asked.

"Finding everyone." She replied, voice distant and distracted.

Her vague statement confused Natsu and he leaned up onto his elbows, sharp eyes sweeping their surroundings, his muscles tense as he prepared for an attack.

"What on Earthland are you doing Natsu?" Lucy asked, leaning up herself and looking at him incredulously.

Natsu glanced back at her and she raised an eyebrow. He prepared to make some half-assed excuse but he didn't want to lie and he knew Lucy wouldn't laugh at him. So instead he adopted a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head and looking away slightly.

"I uh, I didn't know what you meant when you answered me so my mind went straight to you finding enemies or something…"

His voice trailed off as he looked increasingly uncomfortable and unsure of himself. Lucy blinked at him before she understood and her answering laugh echoed around them, its light heartedness and melodic sound giving Natsu some peace.

"Sorry Natsu, I guess I didn't make myself clear enough. I was looking for my spirits' constellations….in the sky."

Natsu blinked and then his cheeks reddened slightly at his embarrassment, hanging his head slightly.

"Oh." Was his response.

Lucy giggled before lying down again and beckoning for Natsu to join her. Eagerly he flopped down onto his back, all embarrassment gone. Lucy smiled at his once again carefree attitude. After the events from last week it was nice to see that he was back to normal. _Good_ she thought.

"Do you know any constellations Natsu?" She asked, her mind returning to the present.

"Uhh, no. Well, I know the northern star, it points north, kind of important for not getting lost. Other than that…no I don't."

"Okay, I'll show you a few."

She grabbed his hand, straightening his index finger so he could point. Then she led it in her own as she began to trace the shapes of her friends.

"That one's canis minor, um, Plue. And that one's Cancer. And this one over here, no there, yeah, that's Virgo. Oh! And this one, no up, that's it, that's Loke!"

She dragged his hand through the air, eagerly tracing the shapes in the sky. Natsu watched carefully, trying to memorise each one. He was amazed that Lucy knew all of this, especially when she pointed out a few that she didn't have contracts with. After finding all she could, Lucy dropped their hands and a soft smile was painted on her face.

"I used to do this with Mama a lot. It was our favourite thing to do." She murmured.

Natsu turned his head to look at her again, feeling his chest constrict painfully at the bittersweet look in her eyes and the slight tears trailing down past her ears. He reached over and gently wiped the tears from her face, turning her face towards him and cupping her cheeks.

"Luce…" he sighed.

"I'm sorry Natsu, I didn't mean to get so emotional." She laughed a little as her tears dried, eyes shining.

Natsu pulled her into a tight hug, tucking her head underneath his chin. Lucy sighed happily and snuggled closer into his chest.

"It's okay Lucy, you don't have to apologise. I know you miss her." He whispered.

Lucy nodded and concentrated on the rise and fall of his chest so she wouldn't cry again. Her eyes began to feel heavy and she could hear sleep beckoning her in, her breathing levelling. Natsu noticed too and his lips tipped upwards in a gentle grin.

"Goodnight Luce."

"…night." She breathed before falling unconscious, Natsu following quickly after.

 **XXXXXXXXXXX**

Natsu woke suddenly to a familiar yet highly unwelcome scent filling his nose. His eyes narrowed and a growl crawled its way up his throat. He untangled himself from Lucy, trying not to wake the sleeping mage, and stood up. He spun around and his growl grew in ferocity, his lips curling into a snarl.

"What are you doing here?" he growled out.

"That's a nice way to greet your brother Natsu." The newcomer said.

Zeref smiled but it was empty and cold and his eyes were full of malice and, hidden deep within, a hint of sorrow. His eyes bore into Natsu's soul making him shift uncomfortably. Zeref followed the unsteady movement with a sick kind of glee. Something caught his eye behind Natsu and his smile turned serpentine in nature. Flicking his gaze back to Natsu, he began to speak.

"Well little brother…"

"Don't call me that. I have no brother." Natsu spat.

"…it appears that you cannot beat me in your current state…"

"Who says I can't beat ya?! I'll burn to ash!" Natsu growled. Zeref rolled his eyes and continued.

"…so, in order to die, as I wish to, I must call out END. Don't you think, brother?"

Infuriated Natsu lunged at Zeref, fury and panic blinding him and making his movements inaccurate. Zeref easily dodged and waited for Natsu to turn on him again.

 _No, no, no, NO! I can't let that happen!_

Natsu's mind was filled with panic as he stopped, spinning around to seek out his opponent. He had no awareness of his surroundings as his mind was filled with terror. He couldn't allow Zeref to take control of him. If that happened then his nightmares would come true. That couldn't happen, if it did then…His gaze flicked to Lucy quickly before searching for Zeref again. Little did he know, Zeref was watching his every move from a distance. Zeref saw Natsu's two second glance to Lucy and a plan formed in his mind. He didn't really want to hurt an innocent right now but if he took something that precious from his little brother, then he would have better control over him when he was in his demon form. Then again, surely it would be better if…

Zeref came out of hiding and approached Natsu. Natsu spun around and growled at Zeref. Worry, fear and anger filled Natsu and he stood protectively in front of Lucy. Zeref smirked and snapped his fingers. In his hands appeared an old book, the word END displayed on its cover. Natsu's eyes widened and he silently shook his head as images filled his mind.

 _Blood, fire, crumbling buildings, screaming people, crying children._

Seeing the blind terror on Natsu's face, Zeref grimaced slightly before closing his eyes and breathing deeply. It had to be done. It was their destiny. Slowly, Zeref opened the book, lip trembling as he did. He forced himself to watch as a red light filled the area and Natsu screamed. Zeref absently noted that Lucy had awoken to Natsu's pain and she was shouting something but he wasn't really listening. He was watching his little brother become the demon he was always meant to be and yet, the sight broke his heart.

Natsu screamed louder as deep red scales rose from his skin, sharp talons tearing through the skin at the end of his fingers, blood dripping to the ground. Tears fell from his eyes as curling horns protruded from his temples, splitting the skin and forcing more blood trail down his face, blending with the scales. Huge, scaly wings erupted from his back, covered in blood. Natsu was blind to the world as the pain consumed him. He shut his eyes and sank to the ground, his body shutting down from the intense trauma. His eyes snapped open as a sweet and soothing voice called out to him. He frowned, the voice was dripping with fear and it sounded wrong.

Lucy caught Natsu's gaze after she bawled his name, gasping at the sight of his now gold eyes. Tears streamed down both of their cheeks as they held each other's gaze.

"Natsu…" she whispered.

He didn't respond, just kept staring blankly at her, blinking slowly every so often.

"He doesn't recognise you anymore, Lucy Heartfilia. So ironic that it's you…" Zeref trailed off.

Lucy spun to face him. Zeref's eyes were sorrowful and there were tear stains glimmering on his face. Lucy was confused by this but she ignored it in favour of Natsu. He needed her now and she wasn't going to let him down in his time of need. She turned back to Natsu and walked towards him. His blank, golden stare following her every move. The deep red tail that had grown from his lower back swayed slowly matching his laboured breathing. Lucy drew closer to him and took a deep breath. When their noses were touching, Lucy wrapped her arms around him and embraced the trembling boy tightly.

A familiar scent caught Natsu's focus and he searched his mind for its source. It was obvious that the human holding him was the source but that didn't necessarily mean that the human was familiar. The way it was holding him was nice as well, it felt like…home. His arms hung limply by his sides but that felt wrong. The human was crying and its tears were wetting his chest. He wanted to wrap his arms around it as well, make it feel like it made him feel. He followed his instincts and breathed out as his scales made contact with its soft skin. The human made a sound of contentment and gazed up at him.

Lucy winced as Natsu's talons started sinking into her back.

"Na-Natsu stop. You're hurting me!" she whimpered.

Natsu looked down at her and saw tears pooling in her eyes. It made his chest feel funny and his eyes burn, vision blurring. He didn't like seeing the human like that, it felt wrong. He released the pressure of his nails on its back which stopped the tears.

 _No stop, you have to kill the human!_

A malicious voice sounded through his head, it was so convincing, so familiar. He tightened his grip again, blood beading on the human's back from his talons. The human started crying again and its familiar scent mixing with its tears made him growl low in his throat.

 _Stop! You're hurting her! Stop it!_

Another, much more familiar voice, rang desperately through his head. Natsu growled and stepped away from the human completely, clutching his head between his hands. The voices bickered back and forth between themselves, driving Natsu insane.

Lucy watched, her warm brown eyes filled with concern as Natsu tugged at his hair and growled deeply under his breath. She spotted Zeref out of the corner of her eye and saw that he was staring at Natsu intently. She refocused her attention on Natsu and cursed under her breath. He was on the floor, cradling his head in his arms as he rocked back and forth, his powerful wings trembling. Lucy frowned as more tears slid down her cheeks. She wanted to help Natsu so badly but she had no idea how to do it.

Lucy glanced back to Zeref and through the thick walls that he had put up she could see the utter adoration of his little brother, proudly shining through the cracks in his walls. Looking back at Natsu she knew the same feelings were clearly visible in her eyes, shrouded by fear but strong nonetheless. Her back was stinging from where Natsu had scratched her but she didn't care. Her desire to help him was overpowering her fear and pain. She stepped toward him, kneeling down when she reached him. Stretching her hand out, she touched his shoulder.

Natsu snapped his head up, locking gazes with her. His bright golden eyes still shocked her but she could see the fear and panic swimming though the once blank stare which motivated her to stay. Her mother's words rang through her ears.

 _Love is the primordial magic and that can overpower any other magic._

Lucy took a deep breath and leaned in to Natsu's face. His eyes widened and his body tense, his frazzled mind wary of any possible threat. Sliding her eyes shut she pressed her lips against Natsu's, letting all her suppressed feelings show in the kiss.

Natsu was very confused. The human was pressing its lips against his own and the other human was panicking. The sensation from the pressure on his lips was strange and made his chest feel funny, light. It was a nice feeling and he eagerly embraced it but it confused him. The familiar scent flooded his senses and clouded his mind. He found himself drowning in it and the malicious voice from before disappeared while the other one whooped with joy.

Slowly Lucy pulled away only to rest her forehead on Natsu's. She smiled shyly at him and held his hands. Soon she felt Natsu's talons shrink into his hand and his scales soften back into skin. Her eyes closed from relief and she let out a breath she had no idea she was holding.

Natsu felt a heavy weight lift off his chest and it felt like a dense fog cleared from his mind. Memories flashed before his eyes. A fierce, red dragon. A building with a strange symbol. A large, welcoming family. A blue flying cat. And a beautiful blonde haired team mate, reaching her hand out to him.

Zeref watched wide eyed as a golden light shone from the girl, encompassing both her and Natsu. The light touched Natsu's wings and tail, both dissolving instantly. The light surrounded his horns and they disappeared as well. His scales sunk back into his skin and his eyes darkened to the familiar onyx. Zeref felt his heart sink and he closed his eyes, blocking the tears from falling. He opened them again to see Natsu and the girl embracing, tears of joy falling from their eyes. Natsu caught his gaze and glared slightly. Lucy turned around and smiled slightly at him, standing up and pulling Natsu with her. They turned and walked off into the forest, Natsu quickly turning to glare at him again, a warning for next time, before slinging his arm around Lucy's shoulders, Lucy resting her head on his shoulder.

Zeref's eyes widened as he swore he saw Mavis standing in the clearing, smiling sweetly at him before disappearing. Zeref smiled softly as he felt the warm trails of tears finally slide down his cheeks.

 **So there it is! Did you like it? I'm really sorry about this. So yeah, I hope you liked it, please drop me a review or PM to let me know your thoughts. Thanks everyone!**


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